Essay The Power of Secret Sin in The Scarlet Letter

The Power of Secret Sin in The Scarlet Letter One of the main themes in The Scarlet Letter is that of the secret. The plot of the book is centered on Hester Prynne’s secret sin of adultery. Nathaniel Hawthorne draws striking parallelism between secrets held and the physical and mental states of those who hold them. The Scarlet Letter demonstrates that a secret or feeling kept within slowly engulfs and destroys the soul such as Dimmesdale’s sin of hypocrisy and Chillingworth’s sin of vengeance, while a secret made public, such as Prynne’s adultery, can allow a soul to recover and even strengthen. When a secret is hidden inside it can engulf and even destroy a person. Arthur Dimmesdale, a revered young minister in†¦show more content†¦The same platform or scaffold, black and weather-stained with the storm or sunshine of seven long years, and footworn, too, with the tread of many culprits who had since ascended it, remained standing beneath the balcony of the meeting-house. The minister went up the steps. This sounds like a quote or a paraphrase and it should be cited with the name of the author and the page number. Dimmesdale’s increasingly enervated physical condition is evident through his eyes, which show â€Å"a world of pain in their troubled and melancholy depths,† As years go by, the minister is inundated with guilt, to the point that he is physically deteriorating. All the while giving phenomenal sermons and regarded as a pillar of the community, internally, Dimmesdale could not feel worse. Dimmesdale’s pain was obviously the result of his concealed sins. The sins you commit and keep secret cause great anguish to the soul and eventually they begin to take over human life. In addition, a sin or secret that goes unacknowledged and unrevealed can cause a cycle of vengeance and further sin. Such an example of feelings kept secret ruining a life is the secret of Roger Chillingworth. He is the husband of Hester Prynne and is thought by the townsfolk to be dead at sea. He returns in hopes of surprising his wife and living a happy life together only to find his wifeShow MoreRelatedThe Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne Essay879 Words   |  4 Pagesevil and sin so a jail was needed to keep evil people and influence away from society. Hawthorne’s beliefs are seen in The Scarlet Letter. The reoccurring theme of â€Å"the power of blackness† and the uneven balance of transcendental and puritan views are apparent throughout the novel. â€Å"The power of blackness† brings out the sin and the worst in all of us including the people we least expect to be evil. 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